Exponential growth and Ebola

While the subject is grim Ebola infections show clearly how exponential growth works. Once you see it it is easy to predict what will happen and what should be done.

This data is from Wikipedia:
2014 West Africa Ebola virus outbreak

 Here's the growth curve you normally see in media. The growth is clearly exponential and the end of curve, the current situation always shows like it's skyrocketing. (Well, it is.) The situation in Guinea and Sierra Leone show linear growth which is better. Liberia is quickly catching up Sierra Leone.

But what happens when you switch to logarithmic scale?

From logarithmic scale you see the growth rate is straight line from 18.6 to 13.8. That is because the growth rate of ebola is exponential. The daily growth rate from 18.6 till 13.8 is 2,5% meaning ebola infections increase threefold in one month.It also means that every day the western countries wait in giving help means the next day 2,5% more help is needed.

Update: Here's the graph updated with latest information 26.8

The growth rate is still a straight line.